Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea

Guest Author - Elizabeth Darrach

Hello, and welcome back! It's nearly summer vacation time around here--most of the schools will be out in the next week or so, which might mean a little less reading time for the moms. I remember those days well, though now my kids are old enough to entertain themselves. I hope you all still manage to find reading time, even during summer school breaks.

This time out, I have the latest from Sophia Nash, Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea (Avon, received from publisher), kicking off a new series. Alexander Barclay, new Duke of Kress, had a serious night of debauchery with the Prince Regent and a small circle of his newest friends, all dukes and a duchess, that has left one Duke without his bride another missing, and the rest of London scandalized and angry. Now the Prince has ordered Alex to his ducal estate to make repairs and select a bride from the list of approved candidates. On his way there, he happens upon Roxanne Vanderhaven, holding onto the side of a cliff. Roxanne started out frightened, then quickly grew angry when she realized her husband, Earl of Paxton, intended her to die there. Now she'll go, reluctantly, with Alex to his home and plot exactly how to deal with her murderous husband while Alex tries to weed through the women the Prince Regent has deemed appropriate brides for him. Too bad none of them hold the same appeal as the tart-tongued Roxanne, who's posing as his cousin while staying in his home. Roxanne knows she will have to leave the area eventually--no matter what happens to her wretched husband--but the longer she stays in Alex's home, spending time with the attractive rogue and his crotchety aunt, the less she wants to go. I love Ms. Nash's storytelling style, filled with humor and lots of explosive chemistry between her heroes and heroines, and this series is going to be fantastic if this first installment is any indication. Roxanne is funny and strong, and Alex is creative and amazing. No woman could possibly resist him, or would even want to resist him. Luckily, I already have the next book in the series to share with all of you soon. If you love a good historical romance and haven't tried Sophia Nash yet, this is a good place to you to jump in. I'm borrowing all five of Cupid's five arrows for this one. Alex and Roxanne are so terrific, I'll be revisiting them again soon.